A Caribbean Mystery (TV 1983)

While Miss Marple is on vacation in a luxurious Caribbean resort, a fellow guest confides he has evidence that another resident of the hotel is an unscrupulous serial murderer but is poisoned before he can reveal his identity to her.

Director:

Robert Michael Lewis

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel), Sue Grafton (teleplay),

Stars:

Helen Hayes, Barnard Hughes, Jameson Parker

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Helen Hayes	...	Miss Jane Marple
Barnard Hughes	...	Mr. Rafiel
Jameson Parker	...	Tim Kendall
Season Hubley	...	Molly Kendall (as Season Húbley)
Swoosie Kurtz	...	Ruth Walter
Cassie Yates	...	Lucky Dyson
Zakes Mokae	...	Captain Daventry
Stephen Macht	...	Greg Dyson
Beth Howland	...	Evelyn Hillingdon
Maurice Evans	...	Major Geoffrey Palgrave
Lynne Moody	...	Victoria Johnson
George Innes	...	Edward Hillingdon
Brock Peters	...	Dr. Graham
Michael Preston	...	Arthur Jackson (as Mike Preston)
Bernard McDonald	...	The Minister

Storyline

Aging Major Palgrave, an idiosyncratic but charming mystery writer, reveals to Miss Marple that one of the guests at a luxurious Caribbean resort they're staying at is a Bluebeard-type wife murderer. Unfortunately, the Major succumbs to an apparently accidental overdose of alcohol and blood pressure medication before revealing the killer's identity. When it's discovered that the medicine belonged to another guest and the revealing photograph the Major was carrying is missing, Miss Marple realizes that the serial killer has struck again and more murders will follow.

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Plot Keywords:

miss marple | caribbean | murder | detective | based on novel

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 October 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Agatha Christie's A Caribbean Mystery

Filming Locations:

El Encanto Hotel and Garden Villas, Santa Barbara, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stan Margolies Company, The, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min 120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The last film role of Maurice Evans.

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Connections

Followed by Murder with Mirrors (1985)

User Reviews

An intriguing (if a bit leisurely) puzzler

Helen Hayes played Miss Marple, Agatha Christie's second most famous sleuth (after Hercule Poirot, of course), only two times. Although the actress is American and the character is English, Hayes is quite delightful in the role - witty, humane and still youthful in spirit. The supporting cast of "A Caribbean Mystery" doesn't contain any big names, but they all play their parts adequately; if anyone stands out, it's Season Hubley as Molly. The locations are pleasant (if Daphne's place in "Evil Under The Sun" was completely booked, I wouldn't mind spending my holidays in this hotel instead), and the story fulfills the basic demands of the mystery genre: it offers plenty of suspects and red herrings, and you won't know who the killer is until the moments he or she is revealed (unless you've read the book, of course). The revelation part is a bit rushed (as it gets squeezed into the last 5 minutes), and the film is at times a bit too leisurely paced. Within its limitations, though, this is good entertainment for fans of genre. (***)